I May Not Be Your Cup of Tea
by WinterSky101
Summary: ...But I'm your tenth shot of tequila. An alternate version of Magnus's party in City of Bones in which Simon does not get turned into a rat, and thus Magnus and Alec have some more (albeit drunken) time to get to know each other. Malec.


**Hello and welcome to my new TMI fic.**

**So somewhere I heard someone say "I may not be your cup of tea, but I'm your tenth shot of tequila," and my fanfic alert went off. Since I was on a TMI kick at that point, I decided to make it Malec. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMI.**

* * *

"Move it along, teenagers. The only person who gets to canoodle in my bedroom is my magnificent self," Magnus declared. Clary and Jace made remarks in response (Jace's was significantly less polite), but all Alec was paying attention to was the grin Magnus shot him before growling at Jace to get out. Alec shuffled out of the bedroom, following Jace and Clary. Isabelle and Simon were dancing to the music (rather intimately, Alec might have added; he hoped he wouldn't have to get all protective-big-brother). "I hate faerie bands," Magnus groaned. "All they ever play is mopey ballads."

Jace laughed and grabbed Clary's hand. "Come on. Let's dance a bit." The two of them joined Isabelle and Simon out on the dance floor, leaving Alec alone. Well, as alone as someone could be while at a crazy Downworlder party with at least a hundred people crammed into an apartment.

"Do you want to dance?" Magnus asked teasingly. Alec's eyes went wide and he jumped. He hadn't realized the warlock was still next to him.

"Um, no, I-"

"I'm just kidding," Magnus reassured. "I wouldn't want to dance to this music either. Let's go get some drinks."

"I really don't-" Alec's protests were ignored as Magnus dragged him over to the bar.

"Tequila shots sound good, don't they?" he asked Alec, who wasn't quite sure how to speak. Magnus didn't wait for a response anyway, grabbing two shot glasses and a bottle of tequila.

"Shall we?" he asked Alec, gesturing towards the kitchen table. No one else was sitting there, but Alec still felt as if he were intruding. He supposed it was just the awkwardness he felt from being at the party in general.

"You know," Magnus remarked lazily as he poured the first round of shots, "you'll have to speak to me eventually. I'm not a fan of the silent treatment."

"I'm not giving you the silent treatment," Alec replied automatically. Magnus's face lit up.

"Good. Here you are." He slid one of the shot glasses at Alec, who eyed it warily.

"I don't really drink much," he admitted. Magnus waved the concern away.

"You're a Shadowhunter. You have all that angel blood. Trust me, you guys have the alcohol tolerance of gods. And I don't get drunk easily either, so we should be a good pair." Alec still didn't drink the shot. "If you don't want to..." Magnus added, looking slightly crestfallen. Alec caught a glimpse of Clary and Jace dancing closely, arms wrapped around each other, and jealousy reared its ugly head. Without hesitation, he grabbed the shot and downed it. The taste was bitter, but it wasn't the first time he had drank tequila, so he was prepared.

Magnus was beaming. He drank his shot as well, looking far too pleased with himself. Alec wondered if he had been lying about the alcohol tolerance thing.

"So you're a Shadowhunter," Magnus said pensively as he poured the second round of shots. "Killed many demons?"

Alec avoided eye contact. "No," he mumbled back. "I've never killed a demon before. I watch out for Jace and Izzy."

Magnus grinned. "My favorite kind of Shadowhunter. And with that beautiful combination of black hair and blue eyes too. Gets me every time." Magnus shot Alec a flirty wink that Alec didn't know how to respond to. "I think we'll get along well."

To avoid answering, Alec downed his second shot and looked out at the dance floor. Magnus did the same. "Anyone catching your fancy?" he asked, his voice holding a hint of...could that be jealousy?

_Jace,_ Alec's mind instantly supplied. "No," he said aloud. Magnus beamed. "I'm not really into this sort of thing."

"Pity," Magnus replied as his expression went back to normal. He leaned dangerously far back in his chair. "I was going to invite you to my next party. If you ever _do_ feel like coming to another one, I'll let you in. Party or not, actually. You can come over whenever you want." Magnus was maybe sort of flirting with Alec, and he had no idea what to do.

"Do you throw parties like this often?" he asked, for lack of a better conversation starter. Magnus nodded.

"All the time. It gets lonely up here, just me and my cat."

"Cat?" Alec asked in spite of himself. He loved cats. He was Church's favorite, back at the Institute. He had always wanted a cat of his own, but he hadn't ever built up the courage to ask for one.

"Chairman Meow," Magnus replied. "This is his birthday party. But I haven't the faintest idea where he ran off to." Magnus shrugged. "He'll find his way back sooner or later."

"What does he look like?" Alec asked. Magnus grinned as he poured their third round of shots.

"The Chairman's small. Very cuddly, as long as he likes you. He normally likes most people. Except vampires; he hates them. But other than that, he's a sweetheart." Watching Magnus talk about his cat was - dare he say it? - kinda cute. Of course, Alec still had his massive crush on Jace, but that didn't mean he couldn't notice that Magnus was also an attractive man. Not exactly Alec's type (not that he had much of a type other than Jace), but nice enough.

Magnus handed Alec his third shot. He looked at it warily. By that point, he ought to have been feeling something, right? "Are you done?" Magnus asked as he downed his shot. Alec shook his head and drank his as well.

"Alec!" Jace's voice cut through the noise. Alec looked up. "We're leaving. Izzy's drunk and Simon needs to get home. Clary's staying with us at the Institute. You coming?"

"Absolutely not," Magnus declared before Alec had the chance to answer. "Blue Eyes and I are bonding. Go away."

"Bonding, huh?" Jace asked teasingly. Alec blushed. "Alright. I'll cover for you."

"I think I'd rather just leave," Alec mumbled. Magnus reached across the table and took his hand, looking a little hurt.

"Please stay with me. I can end the party, if you want. But I want to know more about you."

"I'm staying out of this," Jace stated, backing away slowly. "Have fun, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Alec opened his mouth to protest, but Jace was already going back over to Isabelle, Simon, and Clary. He told them something and Isabelle laughed. Alec would have bet they were talking about him. Clary looked over at Alec and Magnus, seeming a bit concerned, but Jace just put an arm around her shoulders and led her to the door. And there was the jealousy again. Alec could feel it in his chest, like a growling lion that was aching to rip Clary apart and claim Jace for his own. But that idea would never work. Anyway, here Alec was, with a perfectly handsome and nice warlock who, bonus, seemed attracted to him. This was no time to be pining over Jace, who would never want him the way he wanted Clary. Or anyone with boobs, for that matter. Jace was strictly straight. Alec was strictly gay. Magnus was...well, he didn't seem the type to be strictly anything. But he did seem to like Alec, so that was good, at least.

"Hello?" Magnus's voice snapped Alec out of a reverie he hadn't even known he was in. He shook himself, realizing he was still looking at the door, even though Jace and the others had already left. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Alec replied shakily. "Just thinking." Magnus looked a bit dubious, but he poured their fourth shots anyway, and both of them drank them. "Should we slow down?" Alec suggested as he set his glass down. Magnus shrugged.

"If you wish," he replied. He put the glasses to the side and recapped the bottle. "What do you want to do instead, Blue Eyes?"

"I have a name," Alec put in. Magnus shrugged.

"Yes, but I prefer calling you Blue Eyes."

"Fine, Sparkles," Alec shot back. Magnus laughed. Alec thought he liked the sound of him laughing, but that might have just been the tequila.

"That's not the most creative nickname, but I've had worse," Magnus told him. "I'm still calling you Blue Eyes."

"Then I'm calling you Sparkles," Alec replied with a shrug. Magnus laughed again. Yup, Alec definitely liked that sound.

"You never answered my question. What do you want to do?" Magnus asked. Alec shrugged, looking around. He hated being in the middle of the giant party, but he wasn't going to mention it.

"I was serious about ending the party, you know," Magnus added, as if he could sense Alec's discomfort. "Do you want me to? It's been going on for long enough already."

"Could you?" Alec asked shyly. Magnus smiled and stood up.

"Alright, party's over!" he yelled. There were groans from all around the room. "Oh, quit whining and get out!" The crowd all filed out the door. No one thanked Magnus. It didn't take long for the apartment to empty of everyone except Magnus and Alec.

"So. Now that we're alone, what do you want to do?" Magnus asked. He smirked. "I hope you don't plan on taking advantage of me." Alec spluttered incomprehensibly, with no idea how to even start to reply to that. Magnus laughed. "I'm kidding. You're not great with jokes, are you?" Alec's face was bright red, he was certain of it. Magnus was right; he wasn't great with jokes. Jace teased him about it all the time. But the smile on Magnus's face didn't seem as mocking as Jace's smile always did in this situation.

"So how are you related to those other Shadowhunters?" Magnus asked. Alec looked around furtively, checking to make sure they really were alone. The apartment looked much bigger without all of the people in it.

"Um, Isabelle's my sister," he told Magnus. "And Jace is my adoptive brother and _parabatai_."

"Oh, the two of you are _parabatai_?" Magnus sounded interested. "I knew two _parabatai_ back in the late eighteen hundreds. Jem Carstairs and Will Herondale. They were friends of mine. Sort of."

"I think I've heard of them before," Alec replied, thinking. The names sounded familiar, but he didn't know why.

"During history class?" Magnus asked teasingly. "You know, between naps?"

"That only happened one time," Alec mumbled, embarrassed. "And I had gone out hunting the night before."

"I'm just teasing you, darling." Alec blushed at the pet name. Magnus didn't seem to see anything strange about calling a man you'd just met "darling," but Alec thought it was a bit embarrassing. He didn't want to give off the wrong vibe either. A moment later, he wondered why exactly he thought that was the "wrong vibe;" if he liked Magnus (and the Angel help him, but he did) and Magnus liked him back (he seemed to, and he was being pretty open about it), then what was wrong with some flirting?

"Blue Eyes, are you alright?" Magnus asked. Alec nodded quickly.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

"You seem to be doing that a lot," Magnus replied. He looked a little disheartened. "I know you said you weren't really attracted to anyone dancing, but is there anyone special you're not telling me about?"

"No," Alec replied automatically. A second later, he decided honesty was the best policy and changed his answer to "yes." Then he realized how stupid he was being, if he wanted anything to happen with Magnus, and changed his answer back to "no." Magnus looked slightly amused.

"Well, which one is it? Yes or no?"

"Um...kinda both," Alec replied. Magnus sighed.

"Oh yes, that clears everything right up. Do you know you're one of the most confusing Nephilim I've ever met? And these mixed signals will drive me insane."

"What do you mean, mixed signals?" Alec asked, confused. He hadn't been aware he had been giving off any signals at all.

"One minute you're drinking with me, and the next you're looking out at other people. You seem like you're having fun, then you want to leave. You ask for privacy, then you zone out on me. You could write a _book_ on mixed signals, my dear." Magnus reached over and grabbed the tequila and the shot glasses again. Alec watched guiltily as Magnus downed his fifth shot of the evening. He offered Alec one, which he took.

"I'm sorry," Alec said softly after he drank the shot. "I...I didn't realize that I was... I'm not very good at this."

"What, drinking? You seem a pro to me."

"No, _this,_" Alec corrects, waving an arm at Magnus. "You know, being with friends. And, um, flirting."

"So you _are_ flirting with me." All of the dejection in Magnus's expression was immediately gone. He sounded delighted. "You know, that's all you had to say. I can deal with you being forward."

"I..." Alec didn't want to admit that he hadn't ever really flirted before. "I don't have, um, much experience, and-"

"Oh my." Magnus looked like the cat that caught the canary. "You haven't ever had a boyfriend before, have you? Have you even told anyone you're gay?"

"My sister," Alec replied, slightly stiffly. Magnus was making fun of him, he knew it. "But you don't need to act so superior about it."

Magnus looked confused. "I don't mean to act superior," he replied, a frown creasing his forehead. "I was just interested. I would have thought that, considering your highly attractive physique, you would have at least dated someone before."

Alec flushed at the remark about his appearance. "Look, if you're just going to make fun of me-"

"I'm not making fun of you!" Magnus sounded truly lost. "I'm just wondering, Blue Eyes. I'm curious about you. Please don't go."

"Fine," Alec muttered, his voice slightly bitter. This time it was he that poured the shots, downing his quickly. That made six shots, and Alec didn't _feel_ drunk. He probably was anyway. Magnus looked fine, although his cheeks were a little pink. That was a sign of drunkenness. Alec thought it was, at least. Yes, he was definitely a little drunk. It wasn't a big deal.

"I honestly didn't mean to make fun of you," Magnus said softly. Alec sighed.

"I know," he replied. "But I'm not that attractive. I don't know why you would say I am."

"What do you mean, you're not that attractive?" Magnus demanded. He sounded almost angry. "Who told you that? You are gorgeous. Especially with those blue eyes. They're incredible. I don't know that I've ever seen eyes that blue before." Alec blushed. "Oh, and you look so beautiful with a blush on your cheeks!" The blush only deepened. Magnus laughed and poured their seventh shots.

"I think I like you," Alec said bluntly after he downed his shot. Magnus smiled brightly.

"Well, isn't that a strange coincidence? I happen to like you as well. What should we make of it, Blue Eyes?"

"I don't know," Alec replied with a shrug. "Maybe you could kiss me." His voice was carefully casual, but his heart was pounding and his stomach was tied up in knots. Alec couldn't believe he was being that bold, but once the words were out, he couldn't draw them back in.

"Have you ever been kissed before?" Magnus asked. Alec shook his head, hoping that didn't disqualify him as good kissing material for Magnus. "Then I'll make this special."

It wasn't the clumsy, drunken kiss Alec had been expecting. No, this was a graceful, delicate kiss that sent fire rushing through Alec's veins. Magnus's teeth nipped gently at his bottom lip and Alec moaned in appreciation. He couldn't believe he had been missing out on this. He wondered if all kisses were that great, or if it were only Magnus's that could make Alec's knees go that weak. It was a good thing Alec was sitting, or his legs would have given out under him. When Magnus finally pulled away from his lips, Alec couldn't help but let out a little noise of disappointment. Magnus laughed.

"Oh, Blue Eyes, what will I do with you?" he asked rhetorically as he poured their eighth round of shots. Alec made a mental vow to himself that he would stop at ten. He was only a bit tipsy at that point, due to his Shadowhunter constitution, but he really didn't want to get spectacularly drunk in a warlock's apartment in Brooklyn.

"Kiss me again?" Alec suggested. Magnus laughed and handed him the shot. The two of them downed the drinks. "I'm only doing ten shots," Alec informed Magnus matter-of-factly. "That was eight, so two more."

"Sounds sensible," Magnus replied. "I'll stop at ten as well. Ten is a good number."

"Why is our number system base ten?" Alec asked, frowning slightly. "I mean, it's not actually that impressive a number. You can divide it by one, but you can divide any number by one. And you can divide it by two, and five, and ten, but of course you can. There are better numbers. Like thirty. You can divide that by fifteen, and three, and five, and six, and two, and ten, and..." Alec suddenly realized what he was saying. "I think I'm drunk."

"Just a little," Magnus replied, smirking. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm probably going to be drunk once we hit ten shots. I'm just a bit more used to drinking than you are."

"I'm not sure I want to get used to this," Alec mumbled. Magnus shrugged.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. But you can also just drink drinks for the drinks and not to get drunk, if that makes any sense." It didn't make much sense at all, and for some reason, Alec found that highly amusing. He started to laugh, something he didn't do often. Magnus looked at him in surprise, then started to laugh as well. He was drunk too, Alec decided. At least Alec wasn't drunk by himself.

"Well, shall we have another round?" Magnus asked, holding out the tequila. Alec held out his shot glass.

"We shall. Second to last ones."

"Of course," Magnus replied, pouring the shots. Alec drank his and realized he had gotten much better at shots simply through the evening. He wasn't sure of that was a good thing or not. He guessed it wasn't.

"So, Blue Eyes, what should we do? We could play a game," Magnus suggested. "How about...hmm..." Magnus's face lit up. "How about strip poker?"

Alec was sure his face was beet red. "I'm not nearly drunk enough," was the first thing that came out of his mouth. Magnus stared at him for a moment, then burst into laughter. Alec was even more mortified. "I-I mean..."

"It's alright," Magnus replied, smiling softly. "I won't push you to do anything you don't want to do."

"Why don't you tell me something about yourself, Mag- Sparkles?" As long as Magnus was persisting in calling Alec Blue Eyes, Alec would call him Sparkles.

"What do you want to know?" Magnus asked lazily.

"How old are you?" Alec asked, going with the first, typical question.

"Eight hundred," Magnus replied nonchalantly. "You?"

"Eight _hundred_?" Alec squeaked, ignoring the question. "You're eight hundred years old?"

"Yes. Well, not exactly. _Around_ eight hundred. What of it?" Magnus asked. Alec shook his head slightly in disbelief.

"Just one hell of an age gap. I'm almost eighteen."

Magnus shrugged. "How old do I look?" he asked. Alec studied him.

"Not a day over six hundred," he joked. Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Okay, you look around eighteen or nineteen." Magnus grinned.

"Wonderful. As long as I still look young enough to get carded at a bar, I'm happy."

"Why?" Alec asked curiously. Magnus shrugged.

"I want to look young. There's no fun in looking old. I'll probably keep looking like this until I die."

"Lucky," Alec muttered. Magnus sighed.

"I suppose," he replied, but he didn't sound very confident in his answer.

"I'll probably look young when I die, but that'll be because I am young," Alec added. He wasn't sure why. It was probably because of the alcohol. "Shadowhunters don't live long."

Magnus let out a hurt little whimper. Alec looked at him quizzically. "Don't think that way!" Magnus protested. "You can't die yet!"

"But Shadowhunters normally don't live too long," Alec replied, puzzled. "I'm just facing the facts."

"I don't like this fact," Magnus replied petulantly. "It's been decided."

"What's been decided?" Alec asked, unaware that there had been a decision in the first place.

"I'm going to stay with you forever and keep you from dying until you're at least in your eighties," Magnus declared.

"Do I get a say in this?"

"No."

"Okay then," Alec replied, grinning. "I accept your offer."

Magnus held out the tequila bottle. "Drink to it?"

"Sure," Alec replied, holding out his shot glass. Magnus filled it. "Last ones!" Alec said as he downed the shot. Magnus nodded.

"Now what?" he asked as he put his empty glass on the table.

"Kiss me again," Alec commanded. He normally wouldn't be like that at all, but the alcohol burning through his veins was making him bold. Magnus laughed.

"Alright." He leaned forward and kissed Alec again. This time was a bit sloppier but much more passionate, a tradeoff Alec was more than happy with. It also lasted much longer, which Alec wouldn't argue with. Magnus didn't ever seem to need to come up for breath, and when Alec did, he just moved his mouth to Alec's ear. Alec had never known ears were that erogenous.

"Should we move this to the bedroom?" Magnus whispered. Alec let out a low groan. "Is that a yes?" Magnus asked. Alec nodded desperately.

"Yes, yes _please_," he whispered. Magnus smiled widely.

"Come on," he told Alec, taking him by the hand and leading him into the bedroom. Alec didn't protest.

* * *

The next morning, Alec woke up hungover and lying in Magnus's bed. And with Magnus lying next to him.

"Well that was fun," Magnus told Alec. Enough of the memories rushed back and Alec scrambled to his feet, running to the bathroom. Magnus found him there a moment later, doubled over the toilet and retching.

"Are you alright?" Magnus asked, kneeling next to Alec. Alec couldn't even look at him. He couldn't believe he had done that, that he had been drunk the first time he ever had sex-

"We didn't sleep together, you know," Magnus put in, cutting off Alec's train of thought. "Look at us, we're both dressed."

"Oh," Alec said softly. He remained doubled over the toilet, though, and he soon retched again. The tequila shots were _not_ agreeing with his stomach.

"Oh, Blue Eyes," Magnus sighed. He traced a hand down Alec's cheek, blue sparks shimmering from it as he did so. Instantly, the nausea and pounding headache from the hangover were gone.

"Thanks," Alec told Magnus shakily, getting to his feet. "So we didn't, you know..."

"Have sex?" Magnus finished. Alec blushed. "No, we didn't. You were drunk and I was slightly less drunk, so we both kept it in our pants."

"Oh," Alec repeated. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Shit, what time is it? Hodge will be going ballistic at the Institute."

"It's only four in the morning, calm down," Magnus replied dismissively. "You can get back to the Institute and pretend you were there all night." There was something in Magnus's voice that sounded almost hurt, but it had to be Alec's imagination.

"I need to leave." Alec ran out of the bathroom and started searching through Magnus's house for his things. Somehow, his stele had ended up under the bed, and his boots were across the room from each other.

"I can help," Magnus offered. He snapped once and all of Alec's belongings came flying into the room. "There you go."

"Thank you," Alec told Magnus, pulling on his boots and stuffing his stele in his pocket.

"Will I see you again, Blue Eyes?" Magnus asked, and he sounded - dare Alec say it? - hopeful. Alec smiled shyly.

"Sounds good, Sparkles." Magnus's face lit up with a huge smile. Suddenly, he was twirling what looked like a business card between his fingers. He held the card out to Alec.

"Call me," he told him, dropping a glittery wink. Alec blushed, but he accepted the card. "If you want to get home before anyone figures out you spend the night here, you should go," Magnus added. Alec looked at the clock, swore, and went to run out the front door. Before he actually left the apartment, he turned back around and pressed a kiss to Magnus's lips. Without waiting for a response, he turned back around and ran out of the apartment.

Alec thought the soft fire burning in his heart was probably love.


End file.
